What is eating all my storage?

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

(Sorry if this has been answered earlier but I couldn't find the answer to what I was looking for on the existing threads so here goes..)

My Lumia 820 has run out of storage. As in completely! As in 0.00kb free space on the phone memory, and each time I make space it gets eaten within the next few hours.

It all started some two weeks ago when I had around a gigabyte of free space and wishfully tried to update Asphalt 7 (stupid thing to do, yeah I know!). It failed, but took with it some 600megs on Others. After that, any app I tried to update (even ones in the 40-70MB range) failed, though each one took up it's share of Others. I finally realised this at around 200MB, but somehow it starting shrinking on its own. It automatically shrunk to 50MB, then 20, and then finally zero.

In case anyone is wondering why this is such a big deal, this is what happens when you're phone hits zero storage:
- Apps stop working (I got rid of my WPCentral and weather apps before I realized why it happened)
- Live tiles randomly start blanking out (i.e they're there, but appear like empty space until you click it
- The camera stops working (get the "Oops you've run out of storage on your phone" message even when you're saving to SD card)
- What'sApp, Skype and other communications apps take forever to sign in, and mostly fail
- OneNote says synchronization failed and doesn't allow you to make any new notes

...all in all, effectively cripple your "smart"phone into something worse than a feature-phone from 2004.

I've tried the following so far, with no success:
- used ShrinkStorage to clear out space; didn't gain any extra
- disabled auto-upload of photos to SkyDrive
- cleared search, IE and email history.

Any help would be sorely appreciated, thanks!!

 

[ttsoldier]

You have a couple options. You can do a factory restore and wait for 1308 firmware OTA, or you can flash your phone with 1308 firmware manually This way, you will get the "Storage checker" option to help clear up files

Or you can just continue waiting for the 1308 firmware with your phone as is if you don't want to lose anything..

 

[Oxymoron428]

I really don't understand how people are saying Shrink Storage doesn't work. That app has cleared several gigs if space out of my other category, and I have had over 6gb free on my Verizon 8x consistently thanks to it, even after installing huge games like Asphalt, Spiderman, Batman, and Modern Combat (not all at once of course, although I still have asphalt).

But anyway, you can also try Phone Storage Cleanup. Its an app like Shrink Storage, but maybe its worth a shot?

 

[metalchick719]

I had Shrink Storage on my phone and had to use it multiple times. After awhile, it stopped working (although I usually have 3GB, give or take, free). Download Phone Storage Cleanup if you can. If you run that one a few times, it will definitely clear up some space for you because it lets you delete temporary files. Uninstall some apps you don't use much or haven't used in a long time because that might help, too.

 

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

Thanks to everyone who's replied but I don't think you've quite got what my problem is. It's not about having no free space (though that is an issue, and I'm willing to try Phone Storage Cleanup a few tried. It's about what is eating it up, continuously!

Uninstall some apps you don't use much or haven't used in a long time because that might help, too.

Every time I do this, I have a few MB free (depending on the size of the app I've cleared, and a few hours to a few days later, this space gets eaten up as well. It's like the phone has a mind of it's own and won't stop until it hits the 0.00 mark!!

 

[Oxymoron428]

Usually, the other section will grow as you install or uninstall apps. I know you aren't installing apps, but your phone might still be collecting data on its own (updating weather, downloading new podcasts, background apps running maybe?). Maybe you can try to turn off some background apps, live tiles, etc.

But... without those features there's no point in having a smartphone, so you might not be able to stop the steady depletion of space. Hopefully the Clean Phone Storage app can remove some temp files for you.

 

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

As fate would have it, I just received my 1308 update today (unlocked 820, UK), and got the much sought-after Storage Check option. Turns out Chronos Calander and the BBC news app were responsible for a lot of Other-ing, and I am now able to clear this.

Thank you, Nokia, you're the best thing to happen to Windows Phone.

 

[Oxymoron428]

I'm glad to hear it worked out for you! Glad you found the problem apps too

 

[ttsoldier]

As fate would have it, I just received my 1308 update today (unlocked 820, UK), and got the much sought-after Storage Check option. Turns out Chronos Calander and the BBC news app were responsible for a lot of Other-ing, and I am now able to clear this.

Thank you, Nokia, you're the best thing to happen to Windows Phone.

The Nokia Gods are watching over you

 

[Lisa_Pinguo]

Hi Abdul,

You can download Advanced Mobile Care to extend battery life as well as inform users about which apps consume the most battery power.

More info here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iobit.mobilecare&hl=en

Hope helps.

 

[alllies]

More info here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iobit.mobilecare&hl=en

Hope helps.

lol, Your in WPC that's an android app.